Furnace.



No. 726,374. PATENTED APR. 28, 1903.

R. s. THOMPSON.

TURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 26 1901. I N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 726,374. PATENTED APR. 28, 1903. R. S. THOMPSON.

FURNACE. APPLIOATION FILED D20. 26. 1901. no MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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R. S. THOMPSON.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION IILED 1130.26, 1901.

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PATENTED APR. 28, 1903.

R. S. THOMPSON.

FURNACE.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 26, 1901.

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RALPH S. THOMPSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

. FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,374, dated April28, 1903.

Application filed December 26, 1901. Serial No. 87,156. (No model To aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, RALPH S. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at. Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces-of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being bad therein to the acoompartying drawings.

This invention relates to furnaces, and more particularly to that classknown as hotair furnaces, bymeans of which air may be heated fordistribution to such places as may be needed.

The particular object of my present invention is to produce acompactstructtu'e having a comparatively small height in proportion toits efficiency and adapted to givea maximum heating efficiency foragiven amount of fuel.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features whichIwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out inthe claims i In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis,

rows. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line a a of Fig.1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. dis a verticalsectional View of a modified form, taken on the line 11 o of Fig. 5 andlooking in the di-I reotion of the arrows; and Fig. 5 is a plansectional view of the same, taken on the line w w of Fig. at and lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly first to the construction shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3, 1 indicates the fire-box or combustion-chamber, which ispreferably rectangular in horizontal crosssection, as shown, and havingits top inclined from front to back at an angle of about fortyfivedegrees. This fire-box may be of any suitable construction; but wheregaseous fuel is employed, as is preferred, it will be ordinarilyconstructed of sheet metal. In the present instance I have shown thisfire-box as adapted for use with gas as the heating mediu m, althoughitwill be understood that any suitable fuel may be employed. In the con-Fin. 2 is a plan section taken on the line y y of Fig. 1 and looking inthe direction of the ar struction illustrated I have shown a burnerconsisling'of two pipes 2, extending the length of the bottom of thefire-box and having jet-openings formed therein, the gaseous fuel beingconducted to the pipes in any suitable manner and consisting ordinarilyof a mixture of gas and air. I have also shown located between the twopipes a pilot-burner -or automatic lighter 3, supplied by a pipe 4,

such a device being commonly used in con- -the heated gases and productsof combustion.

Back of the fire-box or combustion-chamher is located the air-heaterproper, consisting of two fine-boxes 7 and 8, situated asuitabledistance apart and connected by fines 9 in the manner hereinafterdescribed. Each fiuebox is subdivided bydiaphragms 10 into a number ofchambers or compartments, the

number being as great as may be required and being equal in the twoboxes or unequal,

as may be desired. In the present instance I have shown the fine-box 7as divided into four compartments 12, 13, 14, and 15, while the flue-box8 is divided into three compartments 16, 17, and 18. The fines arearranged in tiers or horizontal rows placed one above the other, and thefiues of the uppermost tier extend from the uppermost compartment 12 ofthe fine-box '7 to the uppermost compartment 16 of the fine-box 8. Thesecond row of fines from the top extend from the uppermost compartment16 of the fine-box S to the second compartment 13 from the top of theflue-box 7. In like manner the third row of fines extend from the secondcompartment 13 of the flue-box 7 to the second compartment 17 of thefiue-box 8, while the fourth row of fines are reti'irndlues, connectingsaid compartment 17 with the third compartment 14 of the flue-box 7. Thefifth row of fines extend from the compartment 14 to the low ermostcompartment 18 of the flue-box 8, while the sixth row of lines arereturn-fines, extending from the compartment 18 to the lowermostcompartment of the fine-box 7. I clined top to the outlet opening 6,from It will be seen from an examination of Fig. 1 that the fines ofeach tier or horizontal row are so arranged as to be above the spacesbetween the fines of the row or tier next below or, in other words, arestaggered, and this is my preferred arrangement. I also prefer to makethe fines of such a diameter and to locate them at such a distance apartthat the distance separating two adjacent fiues of any row is equal orsubstantially equal to the diameter of the fines. It will be obvious,however, that the number and size of the fines may be varied accordingto circumstances.

One of the fine-boxias-in the present instance the fiue-box 7is providedwith an inlet-opening 19 for the heated gases and prod nets ofcombustion, and in the present inconstruction in which this opening isin the front end of the flue-box and is connected with the outletopening6 of the fire-boX by means of a pipe or fine 20. That one of the twofine-boxes which contains the last compartment into which the productsof combustion enteris provided with a discharge or outlet-opening 21,opening into said compartment, and in the present instance, in which aconstruction having an even number of rows of fines and an unequalnumber of compartments in the two flue-boxes is shown, this opening 21communicates with the compartment 15 of the fine-box 7. This opening 21is formed in the end of the fine-box opposite to that which communicateswith the fire-box and is provided with an outlet ordischarge pipe 22,which is preferably connected with a chimney. It will be observed thatthe bottom of the outlet-opening 21 is higher than the burners in thefire-box or, in the case of a construction in which solid fuel isemployed, higher than the lowest part of the fire.

The entire heater, comprising the fire-box and air-heater proper,isinclosed in a suitable casing 23, open at the bottom and closed at thesides and top and provided with heatingpipes or hot-air fines24,1eading'from its top to the place or places where the heated air isto be utilized. Preferably the lower end of the fire-box containing theburners is below the bottom of the casing, so as to give ready access tothe burners, and the fire-box, heater proper, and easing may besupported on legs 25 or in any other suitable manner. The casing may beconstructed of any suitable material, while the heater proper comprisingthe flue-boxes and fines is preferably constructed of sheet metal. Ihave sometimes found it advisable to arrange within the casing and overthe fire-box an inclined deflecting-plate 26 for the purpose hereinafterset forth, although this deflecting-plate may be dispensed with.

The apparatus thus organized operates in the following manner: Theheated gases and products of combustion in the fire-box ascend to thetop thereof, being deflected by the inthe connecting-fines.

which they pass into the uppermost compartment to the first fine-box.They then pass through the upper row of fines into the upper compartmentof the second flue-box, and so on backward and forward through thesuccessive rows of fines to the successive compartments of the twoboxes, finally passing out through the opening 2 It will be observedthat the distance in the heater proper from the inlet-opening 19 to theoutlet-opening 21 is the same through any vertical set of fines. Inother words,assuming that a portion of the heated products in passingdown through the heater travels through those fines nearest the fire-boxit will still have to travel the entire length of the last compartment15, so that its total length of travel is no greater nor less than aportion which travels down through the fines nearest the outlet end ofthe casing. It arises from this construction that all those portions ofthe heater proper lying in a given horizontal plane are equally heated,and the draft being equal the How of the products of combustion is eventhroughout the entire heater. It should be noted in this connection thatsince the outletopening is above the lowest part of the fire a draftthrough the entire system is insured independent of the chimneyconnection. It will be understood, however, that where a reliablechimney connection is provided the outlet may be correspondinglylowered. With either construction, however, a draft is created as soonas the fire is lighted, so that the products of combustion are carriedout and combustion is continuously maintained in the fire-box after thefire is started. The air to be heated enters from below, a portion of itpassing up around the fire-box, between the same and the casing andheater proper, and a portion passing up around the heater proper,between it and the casing; but by far the greater portion of incomingair passes upward within the heater proper, between the fine-boxesthereof and between The entering cold air first comes into contact withthe lowest fines and the lower portions of the fine-boxes, in which theproducts of combustion are at the lowest temperature, having alreadyparted with a large portion of their heat. The incoming cold air is ableto reduce the products of combustion in this part of the heater to aslow a point as is consistent with sufficient warmth in the chimney tomaintain a reasonable draft. The air thus partly warmed by the firsttier of fines takes an increment of heat from the fines in the next tierabove, which are necessarily warmer than the air and than the tinesbelow, and this is repeated until the air reaches the top of the heater,securing an increment of heat from each successive tier of fines andfrom the correspondingly-heated sections of the fine-boxes. As the airis always at a lower temperature than the tier of fines which it nextmeets, it can take heat successively from each tier and reaches the topofthe furnace in a thoroughly-heated condition, from which it isdistributed to the points of discharge through the pipes 2a in the usualmanner. The staggered arrangementof the flues is such as to causethe airwhich passes between the flues in one tier without actually coming intocontact with those flues toimpinge upon the flue above the space throughwhich it has passed, thus making it certain that all of the air whichpasses through the heater will come into direct contact with the flues.When the deflecting-plate 26 isemployed, it serves to cause the airwhich comes into direct contact with the fire-box, and which maytherefore be more highly heated than the air which passes up throughtheheater, to be deflected, so as to mingle with this latter air, andthus equalize the temperature of the Whole body of air in the upper partof the'casing.

By reason of the construction which I have described there is a constantlowering of temperature of the products of combustion in the heaterproper from the inlet at the top thereof to the outlet at the bottomthereof, and there is a corresponding and proportionate increasein thetemperature of the incoming air from the lower portion of the heater tothe upper portion. The air is thus thoroughly heated, while at the sametime the heat of the products of combustion is thoroughly extracted, sothat the fuel is thoroughly utilized in heating the air.

The particular construction and arrangement which I have described isespecially adapted for use in places of limited height, such as cellarsor the like, where furnaces are frequently located, and saidconstruction is obviously valuable, because it enables me to obtain avery large area of heating-surface of great efficiency without any undueextension in a vertical direction or,'in other Words, enables me toproduce a low furnace of great heating capacity.

It is obvious that various modifications in the details of constructionand arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from theprinciple of my invention. For instance, as already stated, the nu mbcrof rows of fines and their relative size and arrangement may be varied,as Well as the number of compartments into which the flue-boxes aredivided, the position of the outlet varying accordingly. Moreover, therelative arrangement of the fire-box and heater proper may be varied,and in Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a construction in which the fire-boxis arranged parallel with one of the flue-boxes instead of at rightangles to the same. In this construction the opening 19 is in-the frontor face of the flue-box instead of at the end thereof, as in theconstruction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In other respects theconstruction is the same as that already described. Various othermodifications will readily suggest themselves, and I therefore do notwish to be limited to the precise details hereinbefore described, andshown in the accompanying drawings.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hot-air furnace, the combination, with a casing having acold-air inlet at the bottom and a hot-air outlet at the top, of aninclosed heater comprising a fire-box and a heater proper havingflue-boxes divided into superposed compartments,- groups of fluesextending between each pair of boxes in the same horizontal plane andconnecting all of the compartments in a continuous alternating series,the first compartment being at the top of the heater proper andconnected with the fire-box at one end of the heater proper, adjacent tothe first vertical row of flues, and the last compartment being at thebottom of the heater proper and provided at the other end of the heaterproper, adjacent to the last vertical row of lines, with anoutletconuected with the chimney or draft-flue, whereby the distancebetween the inlet and outlet through any set of flues is substantiallyequal, sub- 'stantially as described.

2. In a hot-air furnace, the combination, with a casing having acold-air inlet at the bottom and a hot-air outlet at the top, of aninclosed heater comprising a fire-box and a heater proper havingflue-boxes divided into superposed compartments, groups of fluesextending between each pair of boxes in the same horizontal plane andconnecting all of the compartments in a continuous alternating series,the first compartment being at the top of the heater proper andconnected with the fire-box at one end of the heater proper, adjacent tothe first vertical row of flues, and the last compartment being at thebottom of the heater proper and provided at the other end of the heaterproper, adjacent to the last vertical row of flues, with an outletconnected with the chimney or draft-flue, whereby the distance betweenthe inlet and outlet through any set of flues is substantially equal,the fines of each horizontal row or group being located above the spacesbetween the flues of the row beneath, substantially as described.

3. In a hot-air furnace, the combination, with a casing having acold-air inlet at the bottom and a hot-air outlet at the top, of aninclosed heater comprising a fire-box and a heater proper havingflue-boxes divided into superposed compartments, groups of fluesextending between each pair of boxes in the same horizontal plane andconnecting all of the compartments in a continuous alternating series,the first compartment being at the top of the heater proper andconnected with the fire-box at one end of the heater proper, adjacent tothe first vertical row of fines, and the last compartment being at thebottom of the heater proper and provided at the other end of the heaterproper, adjacent to the last vertical row of flues, with an outletconnected with the chimney or draft-flue, whereby the distance betweenthe inlet and outlet through any set of fiues is substantially equal,the fines of each horizontal row or group being located above the spacesbetween the flues of the row beneath, and the fire-box and heater properbeing closed. from all communication with the air-space within theeasing, substantially as described.

4. In a hot-air furnace, the combination, with a casing having acold-air inlet at the bottom and a hot-air outlet at the top, of anin'olosed heater comprising a fire-box and a heater proper arranged sideby side, the heater proper having flue-boxes divided into compartments,and flues extending between the boxes and connecting the compartmentsthereof in a continuous alternating series, the first compartment beingconnected with the fire-box at one end of the heater proper, and thelast compartment being provided at the other end of the heater properwith an outlet connected with the chimney or draftfiue, the casing beingprovided with a deflecting-plate extending from the wall of the casingover the fire-box and toward the heater proper, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a hot-air furnace, the combination,

With a casing having a cold-air inlet at the bottom and a hot-air outletat the top, of an in'closed heater comprising a fire box having I aninclined top and an outlet-opening near the higher portion of saidinclined top, and

a heater proper having flue-boxes divided into compartments, and fluesextending between the boxes and connecting the compartments thereof in acontinuous alternating series, the first compartment being connectedwith the outlet of the fire-box at one end of the heater proper, and thelast compartment being provided at the other end of the heater properwith an outlet connected with the chimney or draft-flue, substantiallyas described.

6. In a hot-air furnace, the combination, with a casing having acold-air inlet at the bottom and a hot-air outlet at the top, of aninclosed heater comprising a fire-box and a heater proper havingflue-boxes divided into compartments, and fines extending between theboxes and connecting the compartments thereof in a continuousalternating series, the first compartment being connected with thefire-box at one end of the heater proper, and the last compartment beingprovided at the other end of the heater proper With an outlet connectedwith the chimney or 'draftflue, and having its lower portion higher thanthe lowest part of the fire, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH S. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

E. O. HAGAN, IRVINE MILLER.

